The short answer
Open PhoneFarm in Google Chrome (or Edge, Brave, Arc, Opera) on your Mac, plug in the box, and add the phones. macOS needs no drivers for ADB over USB, and Apple Silicon Macs decode dozens of phone screens in hardware, so a MacBook Air comfortably runs a 20-phone box.
Why not Safari?
Safari doesn’t implement WebUSB, the browser API that lets a web page talk to USB devices. Chrome and other Chromium browsers do. You can keep Safari as your main browser and use Chrome only for PhoneFarm — or install PhoneFarm as an app from Chrome’s address bar so it opens in its own window.
Setup on macOS
- Install Google Chrome if you don’t have it.
- If you’ve installed Android platform tools (for example with Homebrew), stop the adb server so it doesn’t hold the phones:
adb kill-server. - Most boxes connect with the built-in box key. If yours doesn’t, copy the box’s
adbkeyto the Mac and import it. In the file picker press ⌘⇧. to show hidden folders like.android. - Connect the box. USB-C Macs need a USB-C to USB-A adapter or a powered hub — a powered hub is better for more than one box.
- Click Add USB phones and add each phone once.
How many phones can a Mac handle?
| Mac | Comfortable | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| MacBook Air M1/M2/M3 | 20–40 phones | 480p small screens at 15 fps (default) |
| MacBook Pro / Mac mini M-series | 40–80 phones | Use 360p at 10 fps beyond 60 phones |
| Intel Mac | 20 phones | Lower small-screen resolution if fans spin up |
These are typical numbers, not guarantees: USB hubs and cables matter as much as the Mac. Phones that are scrolled out of view pause their video automatically to save resources.
Mac keyboard shortcuts
- ⌘A select all phones, Esc clear selection
- ⌘D sync control on/off
- ⌘V on the big screen pastes your Mac clipboard into the phone
- ⌘ + scroll resizes the small screens
Ready? Open PhoneFarm — or try the 40-phone demo first.